Toumazos Tsielepis, AKEL Political Bureau member and Head of the Cyprus Problem Office of the C.C. of AKEL, replies to the President of the Republic

 

27 July 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The President of the Republic characterised as “unfounded and malicious allegations” what I had said in statements I made yesterday regarding what was said at Mont Pelerin and Crans Montana. He claimed, among other things, that the claims that he had been informed by the Secretary General of the UN about the existence of a document of Turkey with which it accepted the abolition of the guarantees “are refuted by the minutes of the United Nations that have come to light”.

Instead of any other reply, I quote the same unaltered notes from the UN Secretary General’s meeting with the President of the Republic on 6 July 2017 at 6.15pm as published in “Fileleftheros” newspaper on 28 November 2021.

“1. The Secretary General informed that Turkey had presented to him some ideas confidentially. Based on the confidential paper from Turkey, the Secretary General was of the view that there was an opening on the issue of security and guarantees. Turkey indicated its intention to abolish the 1960 Treaty of Guarantees and to end the unilateral rights of intervention. The Treaty of Guarantees could be replaced by an implementation and monitoring mechanism. Although, Turkey was not in a position today to accept the complete withdrawal of all its troops from Cyprus, it might happen at a later date.

2. Mr. Anastasiades demanded clarity about Turkey’s proposal whether indeed the Treaty of Guarantee would end.
3. The Secretary General confirmed that the Treaty of Guarantees would end and that the issue of the troops could be resolved at a later date. An implementation and monitoring mechanism would follow.
4. Mr. Anastasiades enquired whether Turkey would play a role in the implementation and monitoring mechanism.
5. The Secretary General said that Turkey’s role had not been discussed, but he was of the view that various entities and actors could play a role in supervising the implementation process.
6. Mr. Anastasiades underlined that he could not accept Turkey’s role in the implementation and monitoring mechanism. He said that although the end of the Treaty of Guarantees might be viewed as a positive thing, to replace it with a monitoring system and with Turkey playing a role in the implementation process was something that he simply could not accepted. He also went on saying that to have Turkish troops continue stationed in Cyprus would be acceptable to him.
7. The Secretary General confirmed once again that Turkey would be willing to have an immediate and significant reduction of its troops. A review of the troops would not be today, but it could happen later.
8. Mr. Anastasiades said he did not believe that Turkey had the real intention to abolish the Treaty of Guarantees. It Turkey wanted to infiltrate its role into the implementation and monitoring mechanism and hide its real intention there by abolishing the Treaty of Guarantees.
9. The Secretary General stressed that the Treaty of Guarantees was flawed and now that Turkey was finally wished to give it up (…). The end of the Treaty of Guaranteed presented a real opening for negotiation.

(…)11. The Secretary General reiterated that he wanted to end the Treaty of Guarantees as the first step (…)”.

Any well-intentioned reader can effortlessly draw his/her own conclusions as to whom the notes of the United Nations refute. I do want to go on and for that reason I will come back to the rest of the President’s claims if necessary.